1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a signal recording apparatus, a signal record (recording, recordable or recorded) medium and a signal reproducing apparatus for prohibiting copying or unauthorized use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with increased capacity and coming into widespread use of digital recording media, such as optical discs, prohibition of duplication or unauthorized use thereof has become crucial for protecting the copyright of recorded signals. That is, digital audio data or digital video data can be duplicated by copying or dubbing without deterioration, while computer data can be duplicated to give data which are the same as the original data, thus giving rise to troubles, such as copyright infringement, due to unauthorized copying.
With this in view, a pre-set ID bit for preventing unauthorized copying is occasionally recorded on an original signal record medium for prohibiting unauthorized copying in so-called digital dubbing in which data is reproduced from a digital record medium and re-recorded on another digital record medium.
For example, in a system for prohibiting the unauthorized copying in a digital audio data recording/reproducing apparatus termed a rotary head digital audio tape recorder (R-DAT), an inhibiting code for inhibiting digital copying or generation-serial copying, that is for copying generation limitation (inhibiting code of a standard of the serial copying management system or SCMS) is recorded in a main data area for digital audio signals recorded on a digital audio tape as a signal record medium, so that, when the inhibiting code is detected by the digital audio signal recording apparatus, copying recording of the digital audio signals on a new digital audio tape is inhibited.
Meanwhile, in digital dubbing of video signals, in which digital video signals, for example, recorded on a digital record medium, such as a digital disc or a digital tape, are reproduced and re-recorded on another record medium, a pre-set ID bit, that is the inhibiting code of a standard of the serial copying management system (SCMS), may be recorded in the original digital record medium.
In case of a recording system of recording the pre-set ID bit for prohibiting the unauthorized copying on the original digital record medium, the function of preventing unauthorized copying in the above-described digital dubbing operates satisfactorily. However, in case the digital video signals recorded on an original digital record medium are reproduced and D/A converted for analogically recording the converted analog video signals, or in case the analog video signals are again A/D converted for recording in the digital form, the function of preventing unauthorized copying fails to operates satisfactorily, so that recording can be made directly.
That is, if the digital video signals recorded on the digital record medium is reproduced and D/A converted and the resulting analog video signals are directly recorded analogically or restored by A/D conversion to digital video signals for digital recording, the video signals resulting from dubbing are deteriorated in signal quality to an extremely small extent. This means that copyright protection is not assured sufficiently, and hence a system is required which positively prohibits such unauthorized copying. In particular, large-capacity disc-shaped recording media have recently become popular, such that a demand has been raised for suitable measures against unauthorized copying of digital video signals recorded on the disc-shaped record medium.
On the other hand, if the pre-set ID bit provided for prohibiting unauthorized copying is skipped in reading, unauthorized copying can be achieved easily. Therefore, suitable measures for prohibiting unauthorized copying by skipping in reading have also been desired.